Loss limits were placed at the heart of Finland’s safer gambling recommendations by the Gambling Harm Risk and Harm Assessment Group in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
Taking a different approach from other policymakers and regulators across Europe, the group recommended that land-based slots should have more stringent loss limits than online slots.
Furthermore, it was recommended that loss limits should be centralised and set by government decree, being triggered at daily, monthly, and annual limits.
The group stated: “Based on the best available evidence, it is clear that in a licence-based model, gambling limits must be set at a very low level to be effective and efficient in preventing population-level harm.”
Recommendations urge that there should be a centralised location where players can review their gambling expenditure, with data being reported to government officials.
Not all optimism
The forthcoming re-regulation of Finnish gambling and the abolition of the Veikkaus Oy monopoly have, understandably, led to a lot of excitement. Various companies are preparing market launches, and the European Gaming and Betting Association has praised the transition.
However, the latest recommendations around Finland’s safer gambling framework show some trepidation about the future regulated market’s ability to compete with the black market.
The multi-licence market is already set to be significantly hindered by tight advertising regulations, including the prohibition of affiliates from the country.
Mass media will be the primary source of advertising within the regulated market, meaning smaller operators will face an uphill battle to compete and gain sustainable market share.
These recommendations, which could influence how the centralised framework develops, have underlined a consistent and meticulous approach to monitoring player safety.
As the monopoly comes to an end, one of the key concerns will be around whether smaller operators can compete – a challenge that would be further elevated by such stringent RG protocols.
Finland is already facing a channelisation test – according to Josh Hodgson, COO of H2 Gambling Capital, who was speaking at the Gaming in Finland conference from Barcelona, Finland currently has the fifth-lowest gambling spend in Europe.
This spend has been falling since 2017, but is largely cited as being a result of increased traffic to the illicit market. If the ending of the monopoly is going to enable the reversal of this worrying trend, the framework must allow for the spectrum of operators to compete in a competitive market.
The suggestions will now go out for a public consultation, which remains open until 24 February.
